Contax rangefinder
Contax I The Contax I was a high end 35mm rangefinder camera made by Zeiss Ikon to compete with Leica models. It was released in 1932. The Super Nettel was based on the Contax I, with the same kind of shutter, but a folding body, a fixed lens and a short based rangefinder. It was intended to be a cheaper alternative. The Contax I was Zeiss' answer to Leica's offerings in the 35mm market, one Leica effectively controlled since it helped create it in 1925. An examination of the Contax I points to a perhaps frantic company rushing a technically superior product to market. It had a large number of technology advantages as compared the Leica. It had a longer effective rangefinder triangulation base for better focusing. It had a bayonet lens mount (see Contax rangefinder lenses) instead of Leica's screw mount. It also had a removable back for loading film instead of Leica's blind hole film loading system. To go up against Leica's horizontal travel fabric shutter (max. speed 1/500th), the Contax had a vertical travel articulated metal shutter (max. speed 1/1000th). It was less vulnerable to sun burn as well. Unfortunately, the Contax I lacked in fit-and-finish, and it suffered from many reliability problems. This is evidenced by its heavy weight, and because of its harsh corners and box-like shape, as well as the various revisions that indicate a frantic company trying to manage its reputation. From its introduction in 1932 to 1936 when the Contax II was introduced, the Contax I was a work in progress. There are no fewer than six iterations based on external features only. This is actually an underestimate. There were also many non-visible internal changes such as the location and physical layout of how the angular displacement of the lens couples to the rangefinder system. Other changes were meant to make the rangefinder system stay within specifications better. Later versions actually provided better focusing feedback to the user. These were not small changes, and many of the still-working models are actually later revisions. These revisions were incorporated in the Contax II, a much more reliable camera that went through fewer iterations. Contax II The Contax II was released in 1936 and was the successor of the Contax I. It was the first camera with a rangefinder and viewfinder combined in a single window. Its chief designer was Hubert Nerwin. The Nettax was meant to be a cheaper alternative, it was a derivative of the Super Nettel with a rigid body and interchangeable lenses with a specific bayonet and a very limited range of lenses. The Contaflex was a derivative of the Contax I. It was a 35mm twin lens reflex with the same kind of shutter and a built in exposure meter. It was an extremely expensive camera, that tested some of the features that would later appear on the Contax II and III. It had interchangeable lenses with a specific lens mount. Contax III The Contax III, also released in 1936, was a Contax II with an exposure meter. It was one of the first cameras with a built-in exposure meter. After the war, the Soviet Union captured the tooling and drawings of the Contax as war booty, and transfered them to the city of Kiev, where they began the production of the Kiev rangefinder camera, as such a continuation of the Contax. At the same time, the Western part of the Zeiss Ikon company, based in Stuttgart, completely redesigned the Contax and launched the Contax IIa in 1950 and Contax IIIa in 1951. Contax IIa Contax IIIa See also the article Contax IIIa. Contax IIIa is the same camera as the Contax IIa with an uncoupled light meter. Compared to the prewar Contax II and III, the IIa and IIIa used the same lens mount with a completely re-engineered shutter mechanism, new body, and much improved chrome finish. On earlier version IIa and IIIa cameras, all the shutter speeds on the dial in were black, and they are commonly called Black Dial, similarly to the Leica IIIf black dian and red dial cameras. Later model Contax IIIa cameras had the speeds 1/25-T painted black, the 1/50 painted chromate yellow, and the speeds from 1/100-1/1250 painted red. The Color Dial Cameras were in production longer than the Black Dials, 1954-62 vs. 1950-54 The earlier black dial Contax IIa and IIIa have two seperate flash synch cords, one for use with flash bulbs (no built in delay) and one for use with strobe (Vacublitz) with a variable delay, to allow the flash to be timed to the individual camera. The Contax IIa and IIIa were/are a professional quality 35mm Rangefinder camera system, with a large system of lenses and accessories, that some considered the best 35mm lenses produced during the 1950's. The Contax IIa and IIIa also has superb mechanical fit and finish, many believe better than even the legendary Leica M3, and vastly superior to the Screw Mount Leica, or the many copies. None the less the Leica product one the Rangefinder war, and the contax ceased production in 1960, and was replaced by the Contarex SLR. Bibliography * Barringer, C. and Small, M. Zeiss Compendium East and West — 1940–1972. Small Dole, UK: Hove Books, 1999 (2nd edition). ISBN 1-874707-24-3. Links In English: * in Frank Mechelhoff * in Contax IIa-IIIa serials * in PhotoForum * Zeiss Ikon Contax Rangefinder Lens Information Guide * Biography of Heinz Küppenbender, chief developer of the Contax at The Zeiss Historica Society * Contax I and Contax II/III at Cameraquest * Contax I at Camerarepair.com * Repair notes in Rick Oleson's website: ** Contax (II-III) shutter ribbons (also applies to Kiev 35mm rangefinder models) ** Contax IIa shutter CLA ** Make a takeup spool for your Contax or Kiev (by Henry Fisher) * Contax II listed at number 16 in Jason Schneider's Top 20 Cameras Of All-Time on Shutterbug. In French: * Lionel's Zeiss Ikon Contax II overview at 35mm-compact.com * Zeiss page at www.collection-appareils.com by Sylvain Halgand In Japanese: * Archiv Zeiss / Exakta by Mori Ryōsuke (with some English) Category: German 35mm rangefinder Category: Contax rangefinder mount Category: C Category: 1932